The US Department of War (DoW) has cleared General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) to build a second destroyer under the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
A multi-phase evaluation by the Department considered factors such as production efficiency, adherence to schedules, supply chain stability, and workforce development at the Bath, Maine facility.
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Pentagon officials said that BIW demonstrated substantial advances, making it feasible to assign the second guided-missile destroyer, contingent on Congressional funding.
In a statement issued on 12 October, the Pentagon said the proposed additional destroyer was feasible and “strategically advantageous” for the Navy.
DoW deputy secretary Steve Feinberg said: “After a rigorous review, Bath Iron Works has proven it has the capacity and stability to support construction of a second destroyer.
“While the operational improvements we have seen at BIW are a significant step in the right direction, the shipyard must continue this momentum to fully resolve legacy production challenges – sustained performance is essential.”
This decision supports the Administration’s broader strategy aimed at reinforcing the US maritime industrial base and addressing rival shipbuilding expansion abroad.
The DoW is currently directing its efforts at long-term industrial stability, driving investments in shipyard modernisation and workforce growth measures across the nation.
For Fiscal Year 2027, President Donald Trump’s defence budget requested $3.6bn in funding to procure one additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
If the second destroyer receive approval from the Congress, the DOW will build two destroyers total under the current fiscal budget.
Besides BIW, the other destroyer will be built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, according to a News Center Maine report.
In response to the approval, Senator Susan Collins said on social media that the certification followed repeated administration visits to BIW and was intended to verify that the shipyard could take on another vessel while completing its existing work.
She said she had advocated for a second destroyer in the current budget.
“This certification will help keep our Navy strong and support BIW as a steady source of good-paying Maine jobs. I will continue to work to ensure our shipbuilders have the resources to meet the Navy’s needs at a time when China is relentlessly expanding its fleet,” Collins said.
